Photo story: Nablus rally in solidarity with political prisoners

On the 26th of May, more than 500 people joined a demonstration in Nablus in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners and hunger strikers. Starting from the city’s main square, they then marched through some of the main streets of Nablus.

On the 24th of April, over 100 Palestinian political prisoners, many of whom are held under administrative detention, started an open-ended hunger strike. Their hunger strike continues and is entering the 33rd day. More prisoners have joined the campaign, adding up to 125 Palestinian political prisoners currently in hunger strike. Palestinian prisoners are protesting in order to stop the practice of administrative detention, which involves detention orders that can range up to six months and renewed indefinitely. These orders are based on secret information that neither the detainee nor the lawyer have access to, and the widespread use of this practice is against international standards.

Protesters march handcuffed through the streets of Nablus. (Photo by ISM)

Many children participated in the march, handcuffed and blindfolded to symbolize the brutality of Israeli authorities. (Photo by ISM)

(Photo by ISM)

(Photo by ISM)

(Photo by ISM)

Mothers, sisters and wives. Almost every Palestinian woman has or has had at least one relative in jail. (Photo by ISM)

(Photo by ISM)

(Photo by ISM)

According to Addameer (Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association) there are currently over 5,200 political prisoners under Israeli custody, 186 of them are held under administrative detention. The hunger strike is a protest aimed at ending the use of administrative detention. (Photo by ISM)

“Water and salt”. These are the essential elements necessary for prisoners to undergo a hunger strike. However the Israeli authorities refused to give salt to them for the first three weeks of the strike. (Photo by ISM)

In the city of Nablus, a tent was erected several weeks ago as a permanent sit-in protest in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners and hunger strikers. Protests are held almost on a daily basis and provide a forum for both relatives and political parties to have their voices heard.